258 Among Men and Horses. 



bettoe to take charge of the horse or pony. In South Africa 

 he troubles himself about none of these things ; but simply 

 gets off, draws the reins over the animal's head, puts them on 

 one of the upright posts which are planted in the ground for 

 that purpose in front of every store, and leaves his mount to 

 take care of itself, while he goes off to transact his work ; 

 being well assured that no matter how long he may stay 

 away, he will find it in the same spot on his return. 



When a South African wants to turn his horse out on the 

 veldt to graze, and wishes to prevent it from roaming too far 

 away, and to be able to readily catch it, he usually 'knee 

 halters ' it. This is done by taking the leading rein (a piece 

 of raw hide called a reim is employed for this purpose) of the 

 headstall and attaching it, at the required length, to a fore- 

 leg, either above or below the knee, by means of a clove hitch, 

 and then fastening the loose end of the reim to the headstall. 



By the term veldt is meant the open plain, which is as 

 familiar a feature of the scenery of South Africa, as the 

 maidan is of that of India. The veldt is singularly free from 

 trees or even shrubs, and one may go for hundreds of miles 

 without seeing on it any larger form of plant life than stunted 

 grass or karoo , which is a green-coloured weed that grows to 

 about a foot in height. The veldt is not safe ground to ride 

 over at speed ; as it is full of holes made by mercats (ant cats) 

 and ant bears. 



